A black-and-white photo of a man, woman, and infant in an old, topless car with a little girl in a uniform and luggage drawn into the backseat. Photo Collage, "Tenant Farmer and Family” (after Dorothea Lange), by Maru Jo Bang (n.d.)
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Some days, everything is a machine: The Poetic Practices of Mary Jo Bang

The WashU Libraries holds the literary papers of poet, translator, and visual artist Mary Jo Bang, whose innovative creative practices span poetry, translation, photography, and collage. Her archive includes both digital and analog materials, including drafts of poetry manuscripts, annotated proofs, correspondence, translation work, photographs, and other documents that document the shifts in her artistic process across formats.

The Some days, everything is a machine digital exhibition accompanies an onsite exhibition of the same name. Developed as part of the Mellon-funded Born-Digital Poetry: Planning for the Future of Literary Archives project, the exhibition reflects the project’s objective of creating sustainable approaches for preserving born-digital materials. The exhibition presents Bang’s creative and collaborative processes and considers how her work across both digital and analog forms can be preserved for future generations.

The exhibition curated by Born-Digital Poetry Fellow and PhD candidate in Comparative Literature (International Writers track) Sarah María Medina. With thanks to Modern Literature Collection Curator Joel Minor, Born-Digital Poetry Fellows and Project Archivists Christa Kileff and Diana Bell for their contributions to the project, including metadata development and archival support.

Creation of the digital exhibition Some days, everything is a machine is underway.

Header Image Credit: Photo Collage, “ Tenant Farmer and Family” (after Dorothea Lange), by Maru Jo Bang (n.d.)